La Sportiva Women's Skwama Climbing Shoe Review

Super sticky, super responsive, and just as badass as the men’s version of the shoe.

Confident, sexy, and with just the right amount of aggression, the Women's Skwama climbing shoes are a nice addition to the La Sportiva line, and my new climbing favorite shoe.

I've been climbing in the Men's Skwamas for the past two years. Once I broke in the shoes (I sized down two full sizes from my street shoe size), they were my go-to choice for gym climbing and cragging. After two years of climbing about three times per week in them, I finally wore through them. (I was surprised it took so long!) During this time, La Sportiva came out with a women's version of the shoe and I decided to try it out.

What I love about La Sportiva climbing shoes is that I don't feel like the women's shoes are any less aggressive or hard-charging than the men's version. The Women’s Skwama is no different. The La Sportiva S-Heel™ construction allows you to heel hook like a pro, completely totally trusting your placement and grip. The P3 rand design does minimize stretch, but the shoes still do stretch a little, so I would recommend sizing down at least to your normal climbing shoe size, or even a bit more.

I typically don’t use toe hooks in my climbing style nearly enough, but shortly after getting comfy with the Swkama two years ago, I noticed I was busting them out more and more; the additional rubber on the forefoot holds tight when you use it.

Men’s or women’s, if you enjoy the beauty and grace of climbing, you’ll love how you feel climbing in these shoes. The slipper is comfortable despite being aggressive. I feel light on my feet when I wear them on the wall, and I’m always amazed at how precise my foot placements end up being. Finally my favorite shoe comes in a color scheme that doesn’t clash with my outfits ;-)

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